Tirado's wins 'Food Court Wars,' fans

Tirado's Empamadas and More

Family members, Trish and Jenn Tirado, Vicki, 10, and Vanessa Nazrio, Luz, John and Steven Tirado at Tirado's Empamadas and More. Tirado's, a new restaurant in the food court at
Westgate Mall, serves Puerto Rican cusine. It won the “Food Court Wars” on the Food Network.

ALEX C. HICKS JR./alex.hicks@shj.com

By ELIZABETH DAVISFor the Herald-Journal

Published: Thursday, August 1, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at 8:08 p.m.

The names and tastes of Puerto Rican food are mostly unknown in the Upstate.

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Few are familiar with the Papa Rellana, a thick ball of fried potatoes wrapped around a spicy beef filling, or the surullitos, crispy corn fries with the texture of hush puppies that can be perfectly paired with a chipotle mayo dip. Even the empanada, crescent-shaped pastries filled with cheese, beef, pork or vegetables and a staple in Puerto Rico, is relatively uncommon in the area.

This caused the Tirado family some problems when they began selling traditional Puerto Rican fare out of a food cart in Greenville during the spring of 2012.

“People would come by, and they'd ask questions, but they were a little leery of stopping and even eating out of a food cart, let alone something they're unfamiliar with,” said Jenn Tirado, co-owner and co-manager of Tirado's Empanadas and More.

As the business faltered, the family decided to take a break from the cart for a while; then a friend reached out with an opportunity that would drastically change the way the Tirados did business.

After a tip from the friend, the Tirados filled out an application to compete in the Food Network show “Food Court Wars,” a reality show that “pits two teams of aspiring food entrepreneurs against one another as they battle to win their own food court restaurant, rent-free for a year,” according to the show's website.

After the application process, the network decided that the mother-daughter team of Trish and Jean Tirado might be a good fit for the show.

“I can't believe we're doing this,” Trish recalled. Even after the interviews were over, the family still remained doubtful about the future of their food business.

“After every interview, we really were like, ‘They're not going to pick us; we're not that interesting,'” Jenn said.

The Food Network disagreed with Jenn, and Tirado's Empanadas and More was invited to compete on the show against The Taco Spot from Charleston. Filming took place in WestGate Mall over five days. The two teams cooked their signature dishes and were judged based on the quality of the food as well as its marketability.

“It was pretty intense because we had a time limit, and the kitchen was brand new to us,” Trish said.

Trish and Jenn, though having worked with food before, were new to the world of reality television but quickly adjusted.

“Once they said ‘Go,' and we were cooking in the kitchen, that was a no-brainer,” Jenn said.

Initially a little intimidated by the competition, the family stood confidently behind their Puerto Rican food and took the victory.

Trish and Jenn had to keep quiet about their win for three months until the show was aired on television. During this time, they were given the opportunity to customize their food court spot and prepare for the busy months ahead.

Tirado's food court restaurant opened a little over a week ago. Since then, both their TV fame and their food have kept customers coming to the colorfully painted section of WestGate Mall.

“We're pulling in tons of people: people from downtown Greenville — we've already got a following, the Spanish community and the Food Network,” Trish said.

The restaurant has already struggled with running out of certain items on their menu and is trying to perfect the quantities of food they buy.

“The hardest part is just finding time to keep up with the demand; it's just been crazy,” Jenn said.

Though this has been a hectic time for Trish and Jenn, the two have been very pleased with the support they have received from the Spartanburg community.

“Spartanburg has welcomed us with open arms,” Jenn said.

The Tirados will stay in the WestGate Food Court for the next year to redeem their free rent.

“The mall's been really good with us, giving us baby steps to come up to speed,” Trish said.

As for their next step, the family's plans are uncertain.

“I don't know what next year holds; I'm hoping a franchise,” Trish said.

Other than empanadas and the Papa Rellana, which was Jenn's speciality on “Food Wars,” Tirado's serves Shrimp Mofongo, a plantain bowl with shrimp; bistec encebollado, a steak, onion and rice dish; and a variety of stews and desserts.

The restaurant is open daily Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sundays from noon-6 p.m.

Writer Amy Bright contributed to this article.

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